Kedarnath
 The Legend
In the middle of dramatic mountains of the majestic Kedarnath range is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva or Kedar. Situated at an altitude of 3584 m on the edge of river Mandakini, the shrine is amongst the holiest of the places for Hindus. It is the third destination among the four destinations in Chardham Yatra. The legend has it that after the battle of Kurukshetra, Pandavas sought the blessings of Lord Shiva, but he eluded them. Lord Shiva kept on fleeing and found refuge in kedarnath. He took the form of a bull. When he was being followed, he dived into the ground but left his bump on the surface. The protruding conical structure is worshipped as Kedar by the pilgrims on Kedarnath Yatra. The remaining four of his body parts are worshipped at four other places as his manifestations. Kedarnath tour India includes visits to some of the other important temples among the 200 shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva in the kedarnath district itself.
Location
Kedarnath is located in the picturesque Garhwal hills in Uttaranchal state. It is located at a height of 3584mts. Kedarnath marks the origin of river Mandakini and is very close to the Indo-Chinese border. It is very cold in the winters with the temperature dipping below 0 degree mark, whereas the summers are pleasant with the maximum temperature being merely 20 degrees. Hence it’s advisable to make Kedarnath Pilgrimage tour bookings for summers as it is more convenient and the shrine is open from May to October. The nearest airport to Kedarnath is Jolly Grant in Dehradun, which is at a distance of 251km. Another destination near Kedarnath is Rishikesh which is the nearest rail station. Kedarnath is connected to important hill stations like Rishikesh, Kotwar, Dehradun and other hill stations of the Garhwal and Kumaon by road. Kedarnath tour packages are bound to treat you to some mesmerizing landscapes. The trek up to the shrine offers beautiful panoramic views of the majestic Himalayas.
Pilgrimage attractions
Kedarnath Yatra will take you across some of the most holy and spiritual places in Garhwal. The key attraction is the Kedarnath Temple which was built in 8th century A.D by Adi Guru Shankaracharya. The temple is adjacent to the site of the ancient temple built by Pandavas. The temple walls are delicately architectured with figures of deities and depicting scenes from mythology. Inside the temple is the conical lingam, which is the main idol and a statue of Nandi, the celestial bull that guards the temple gate. Kedarnath tour packages include other attractions such as the Shankaracharya Samadhi. The Samadhi lies right behind the temple and is considered to be the final resting place of Adi Guru Shankaracharya. It is said that after building the four dhams in India, he went for his Samadhi at a young age of 32 years.
Trip packages and bookings
Kedarnath tour package bookings can be made through websites as well as Uttaranchal tourism centres in various cities. Kedarnath tour packages are generally clubbed with other destinations of Chardham, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. There are also a number of other excursions such as Gaurikund and Vasuki which one can undertake while on a trip to kedarnath. These packages are generally 12 to 13 days long and have comprehensive itineraries available on the net.
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